Researchers discover what they already knew about validity: The case of the family-of-Origin Scale

The Family-of-Origin Scale: A Psychometric Review and Factor Analytic Study

“…controversy centered on the scale's construct validity, which was examined in a series of factor analytic studies. A key issue in this controversy was whether the FOS does indeed measure multiple distinct aspects of one's family of origin or whether adults retrospectively rating their families perceive their early family experiences as "all good" or "all bad" (Gavin & Wamboldt, 1992;Kline & Newman, 1994;Lee, Gordon, & O'Dell, 1989;Mazer, Mangrum, Hovestadt & Brashear, 1990;Schouten, 1996).…”

Conflict Resolution and Relational Patterns in the Families of Origin of Women and Men

“…another 20 items also describe intimacy on five scales: -range of feelings (family members may express a wide range of feelings; example item: "In my family, certain feelings were not allowed to be expressed"), -mood and tone (there was a positive and friendly atmosphere in the family; example item: "I remember my family as warm and supportive"), -conflict resolution (conflicts are resolved without excessive stress; example item: "Resolving conflicts in my family was a very stressful experience"), -empathy (family members were sensitive to the matters and feelings of others; example item: "members of my family were usually sensitive to what others felt"), -trust (the family assumes that people are inherently good and trustworthy; example item: "In my family I learned to be suspicious of others" Ryan, Kawash, fine, & Powel, 1994;schouten, 1996). Despite this, the value of the results in terms of accuracy and reliability allow the method to be applied in group studies.…”